About Paul Czajka

Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka has dedicated his life to helping those in need. Having served as Public Defender, County Judge and District Attorney, he has a truly unique perspective into the issues facing Columbia County and what needs to be done to ensure an even better community is handed down to the next generation. Paul is dedicated to continuing his fight for the future of Columbia County and looks forward to another term as District Attorney.

Born in Hudson and raised on his family’s dairy farm in Livingston, Paul Czajka is currently serving in his third, non-consecutive, term as District Attorney.

In 1987 and 1991, Columbia County voters elected Paul as their District Attorney. In 1994, they elected him as County Judge, a post he held until 2011 when he again ran successfully for District Attorney.

As D.A., Paul has reinstated his policy, in place from 1988 through 1994, of prohibiting the plea-bargaining of indictments. Because of this, dangerous criminals and drug dealers know Columbia County and Paul are tough on crime. Under his leadership , the D.A.’s Office has delivered conviction rates of over 90% for all prosecutions in County Court from 2012 through 2014, without any plea bargains, while decreasing the total cost to county taxpayers for those same years compared to the three prior years.

Dedicated to the US Constitution and legal system, Paul served as the Columbia County Public Defender from 1986 through 1987, representing indigent defendants in the County, Family, Town, Village and City courts. He served as an Assistant District Attorney from 1981 through 1985 after first having been appointed by Honorable Charles E. Inman.

Paul also worked as attorney for the Town of Germantown, the Germantown Fire District and the Livingston Fire District. He served at no charge as legal representative for the Southern Columbia Ambulance Squad to help build a stronger community.

Paul knows the people and issues important to Columbia County, and appreciates the hard-working spirit that fuels the community. He practiced law in Columbia County while continuing to work on his family’s farm. From 1979 through 1984, local farmers elected Paul to represent them as chairperson, vice chairperson and member of the USDA's Agricultural Service Community Committee.

And Paul believes in a sense of community and social responsibility that is bigger than one person or one County; from 1974 to 1975 he served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer, working in the Philippines he supervised small-scale agricultural loans to build a better life for impoverished families.

Paul has worked tirelessly for over 30 years to protect Columbia County, fight crime and drugs, and create a safer community. He is running in 2015 to continue this important work.